When it all goes down

Calm before the storm

Rafe walked towards me slowly, an evil smile plastered on his face. I walked backwards keeping the distance.
"JJ." I called out to the other side of the boat.
"Well, well. How you guys doing?" I heard a familiar voice coming from the other side. Shit. Barry.
"Who-hoo" Rafe yelled. "Now this is a party."
I continued backing away from Rafe as he kept coming closer.
"See I didn't forget about the side of the road. I'm here because I want my motherfuckin' money." I heard Barry say.
"No!" Kie screamed. I heard a thud and knew Jj was down. Shit. "Stop! JJ!"
I tried to run to the other side, to help him.
"Uh-uh. Not so fast." Rafe shoved me against the wall. "Where is your boy John B?"
"I don't know, Rafe!" I shouted at him.
"I want my money. Stay down boy!" I heard Barry yelling.
"JJ!" I screamed. I saw Kie finally come out from behind the boat as she hit the floor. Barry had shoved her.
"Tell me where John B is!"Rafe had me pinned. I was trying to shove him away from me. He placed both palms on the wall, and leaned down, nose to nose.
"You know I don't want to hurt you. Now fucking tell me." He was shaking with rage.
"T!" JJ had come around the boat, Barry knocked him back down. Kie was trying to help him. I saw Barry slap her and she went down.
"Stop." I screamed. Rafe laughed and looked back at me.
"I know what you did." He froze, staring straight into my eyes.
"What? What did I do?" He dared me to say it.
"You killed Peterkin."
He removed his hands from the wall and wiped them down his face. Suddenly his hands were around my throat. He was squeezing as hard as he could. I scratched at his arms, fighting for air.
"No! Stop!" I heard JJ scream.
"Don't you ever fucking say that again. Do you understand? Where the fuck is he? Where?" He was shaking my head, screaming in my face. I had no more air. I grabbed at his fingers to try to loosen their grip. I could feel my eyes fading to black.
"Get off of her!" I heard someone yell. Rafes hands released me immediately, I dropped down to my knees. I looked up and saw Pope. He saved me. He was beating Rafe with a crowbar. Rafe was down in the fetal position trying to block the hits. Barry got distracted long enough for JJ to take him down. JJ climbed on top of Barry, punching him hard. Barry punched him back knocking him off. JJ rammed him into the boat causing the gun to fly out of his hand. It landed by Kie.
" kick it!" JJ yelled at her as Barry lunged for it. She kicked it away, it sliding under the toolbox in the unit. Pope was still wailing on Rafe.
"Pope stop!" I was pleading with him.
He grabbed Rafe around the throat like he had just done to me.
"JJ!" I screamed, JJ threw one final punch on Barry and came over, grabbing Pope.
"Chill dude. Stop." He was pulling on Pope. He wouldn't release his hold on his neck.
"Pope, please that's enough." Kie came over shouting.
"Snap out of it!"
"He has had enough, dude, stop."
"Pope! Look at me, look at me. Look at me!" He looked at Kie and snapped out of it. He pulled his hands quickly off of Rafes neck. JJ released him, he looked down at his hands, then back to Kie. I stood up, rubbing my neck where Rafes hands had been. JJ grabbed my face.
"Are you ok? Shit. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."
"I'm ok. Are you?"I brushed my fingers against his eye that was already swelling.
"I'm ok" he reached up grabbing my hand gently. "We gotta go. Come on. Let's go!" He turned back and grabbed Pope. He was panting and still looking at Kie.
"Kie." I turned around, JJ already had me to the open door. She jumped over Rafes still body and followed us out.

..........

"Ok, where is he?" I was pacing in front of the dock. We all got the phantom in the water and Kie and JJ were on board getting her ready.
"Give him a second baby. He's coming." JJ hollered over to me.
"He's coming, he will be fine." Kie walked around to the front of the boat where JJ was. "Food is stashed."
"I'm just saying," I stopped pacing looking up at them, "after all this shit, he better not have gotten his ass caught."
"It's John B we are talking about." Pope walked over slinging an arm around my shoulders.
"Yeah that's why I'm worried."
We heard sirens and turned around just in time to see a Kildare sheriffs car pulling up.
"Tay, Pope. Get in the boat!" JJ hollered
"Untie it." Kie yelled down
"Shit." I said running to the dock
"Hold up, hold up. Stop, wait." JJ said to Pope, who was starting to untie the boat.
"No f-ing way" Kie shook her head
I looked back to see what I had missed. John B had just stepped out from the drivers seat of the car.
"You've got to be kidding me!" I stopped climbing and walked back to stand by Pope.
"Shoupe let me take it for a spin." He walked over to Pope and I.
"Yeah I'll believe that for now." Kie jumped off the boat and to where we were.
"It wasn't easy bro, but we got the phantom. She runs smooth."
"You ready?" I asked. I was getting anxious. I was devastated to say goodbye to my best friend, but the longer we stood here saying our goodbyes the bigger risks of getting caught. He needed to leave. Now.
"Yeah, where is Sarah?" He asked me, then looked around to all of us.
"Shes not with you?" Kie asked
"We haven't seen her."
"I'm not leaving without her."
"John B." I huffed "you have to go. Like, now!"
"I can't."
JJ stepped up to him grabbing his shoulders, "Look at me! I know you feel bad for leaving, but there is no time, man. You have plenty of gas, plenty of food. Once you get around the point, it's a straight shot to dismal bay." John B looked at him understanding and then to all of us.
"Just lay low. Hang out for a few week at-least. You need to cross the boarder at Brownsville." Pope walked up to pat his shoulder.
"Brownsville." John B repeated
"Now get out of here." I smiled at him. He smiled back.
The four of us stood on the dock and watched as John B started up the boat.
"Hey. Hey." He walked back to the front, looking down at us all. "I'm sorry for basically throwing us off a cliff with this whole treasure hunt thing."
"Hey, we were bound to go off the cliff at some point right?" JJ joked back
"Hey, we did it all together, that's what matters." Pope slung his arms around me and Kie, I pulled JJ in.
"Pogue style." John B looked down at us, smiling.
"Pogue style!" We all cheered together.
"Hey Tay- look out for him." He pointed at JJ. "Kie, Look out for the rest of them." He winked at her.
"Get out of here, please." She said in response.
"We love you." JJ shouted as he pulled the boat from the dock.
"Hey- tell Sarah I said goodbye."
"Cross the boarder at Brownsville, don't forget!"
We watched as he sped away. Our best friend was gone. Everything we had been through, everything we had done, got him out of here. We did it. Mission complete.
I slid out front Popes arm and me and JJ started walking down the dock. I heard Pope and Kie talking. JJ stopped and turned to me.
"So what now?" He looked down at me, as I wrapped my arms around his waist.
"Mhm....Sleep." I said resting my head against his chest. He wrapped his arms around me.
"Sleep. What's that?" He rested his chin on top of my head. "Pope and Kie are totally macking right now, by the way."
"What?" I shot my head around. He wasn't lying.
"Well,well. Rule breakers. No pogue on pogue macking!" I looked up at JJ playfully.
"Is that right?" He smiled bending down to kiss me.
Suddenly sirens blared all around us. We didn't have time to react. We were suddenly surrounded by three Kildare sheriffs vehicles. JJ and I put our hands in the air as cops swarmed out from every direction. We looked at each other and smiled. It didn't matter what happened next, John B was safe and gone. Or so we thought.